Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun: Without Safety, Everything Else in Autos Is Zero

Lei Jun's framing is a notable pivot from Xiaomi's launch narrative, which leaned heavily on performance and design; elevating safety to a precondition rather than a feature signals where the company sees scrutiny concentrating as its vehicle fleet scales. The ecosystem argument—supply chain depth, AI activity, market size—positions Xiaomi less as a carmaker than as a platform player, which matters for how it differentiates against established EV rivals. Whether that ecosystem thesis translates into measurable safety outcomes, rather than conference rhetoric, is the open question worth watching.